Understanding the influence of interpersonal factors on interactions in co-design through intersubjectivity: a systematic literature review

Design, like any social activity, greatly depends on human relationships for efficiency and sustainability. Collaborative design (co-design) in particular relies on strong interactions between members, as ideas and concepts become shared, going from personal (creation) to interpersonal (co-creation). There is, then, a need to understand how interpersonal factors influence interactions in co-design, and this understanding can be achieved by using the insights gleaned from research on intersubjectivity, the field of social interactions. This literature study was conducted using a systematic literature review to identify and classify the different methods used to measure intersubjectivity and see how this knowledge could explain the influence of interpersonal factors on interactions in co-design. The review identified 66 methods, out of which 4 main categories were determined. Furthermore, 115 articles were analysed and systematized in an online database, leading to a new understanding of the role of interpersonal factors in measuring the interactive levels in co-design. They reveal a positive correlation, where a rising level of interactivity is made possible by the formation and maintenance of co-creation, leading to a state of resonance where the experiences of individuals are closely related. This paper presents a state-of-the-art report on trends in the study of intersubjectivity through interpersonal factors and proposes some directions for designers and researchers interested in taking these factors into consideration for their next co-design situation.